There may be a new boss in town and fresh bits bolted onto the RB21, but the Red Bull show rolls on with the kind of consistency that could bore a Swiss train conductor. Max Verstappen, never one to crack a smile unless it’s atop a podium, offered his first public verdict on new team principal Laurent Mekies during the sprint weekend at Spielberg. The early signs? A calm nod of approval, with just enough praise to suggest optimism without sounding like a man writing a Valentine’s Day card.

“It’s difficult to suddenly say after two weeks that everything has to change,” Verstappen told the media with typical Dutch bluntness. “It’s first about building a relationship and understanding how everyone works.”

In other words, don’t expect him to be spotted painting team murals with Mekies or doing karaoke bonding nights just yet.

Still, when it came to first impressions, Verstappen didn’t hold back entirely. “Laurent is very motivated, very committed—that’s exactly what you want,” he said, giving the kind of endorsement that could double as a decent LinkedIn testimonial.

“I get along well with him; it’s been a very good start.”

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A new era, but no sudden revolution

After the surprise exit of Christian Horner earlier this month, Mekies inherited not just the keys to the Red Bull pit wall but also the unenviable task of navigating a team still processing the loss of its longest-serving figurehead. And while Mekies may still be adjusting the seat settings in his new office, Verstappen’s comments made it clear he isn’t expecting instant revolutions or wild new philosophies.

“You can’t just come in and change everything overnight,” Verstappen added, echoing the kind of corporate patience Red Bull has not always been famous for.

“We’ll see in the coming weeks and months where adjustments are needed.” Calm words from a driver who has grown accustomed to stability and winning, but perhaps also a subtle message: don’t rock the boat unless you’re sure it needs rocking.

So far, at least, Mekies seems to be steering the ship with a steady hand and enough energy to reassure the reigning world champion. There’s a quiet sense that, for now, Red Bull are still very much Red Bull—even if the man with the radio headset now has a different name stitched onto his shirt.

 

Simon Rennie returns: Verstappen finds familiarity in the chaos

But Mekies wasn’t the only new (or rather old) face to appear in the Red Bull garage. Making a quiet yet significant comeback was Simon Rennie, once Daniel Ricciardo’s right-hand man on the radio, now temporarily stepping in for Gianpiero Lambiase, Verstappen’s regular race engineer, who was absent for personal reasons.

For Verstappen, the reappearance of Rennie was not a moment of nostalgia but a return to business as usual. “Simon has a lot of experience,” he explained, sounding more like a line manager ticking a CV than a teammate thrilled to reunite. “He was part of the team for a long time, even though he wasn’t active as a race engineer recently. But he’s back in straight away – it’s very pleasant to work with him.”

In the cool, calculated world of Verstappen, “pleasant” may as well be a love letter. The reigning champion rarely waxes lyrical about anything unrelated to lap time, so the fact that Rennie has slotted back in with ease will bring comfort to a team in flux.

 

Technical upgrades bring quiet confidence

Alongside the reshuffled personnel lineup, Red Bull also rolled out a fresh upgrade package to the RB21. As always, the team remained tight-lipped on specifics, lest rival teams start copying their homework, but Verstappen offered the kind of vague encouragement that makes engineers feel warm inside.

“We tried to optimize the car—like everyone else,” he said, clearly not in the mood to give away any trade secrets. “I think we succeeded.” And there you have it, the understated battle cry of a team that quietly knows it’s got its house back in order.

While Verstappen declined to elaborate on the impact of the updates, he confirmed that more testing would take place in the coming weeks. But the signs were clearly encouraging. “This is definitely positive. We have to keep doing exactly what we’re doing.”

Translation? Red Bull may have had their world turned upside down with Horner’s sudden exit, but the fundamentals of speed and reliability remain stubbornly intact.

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The win that soothed the paddock nerves

Verstappen’s victory in the sprint wasn’t just another stat to pad out his already formidable record. It served as a timely reminder that, despite the off-track turmoil, the man behind the wheel remains as committed as ever.

“The team can always rely on me,” Verstappen said, in a tone that suggested it wasn’t even up for debate. “They always get the best from me, no matter who’s in charge. I never hold anything back. I always try to get the best possible result—and that’s exactly what they pay me for.”

He’s not wrong. The idea that Verstappen would start slacking because there’s a different boss hovering on the pit wall is laughable. His tunnel-vision focus, often misinterpreted as aloofness, is exactly what has made him such a devastating force on the grid. Regardless of who calls the strategy or presses the buttons, Verstappen’s mission is the same: win, and then win again.

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From disruption to direction: is calm returning to Red Bull?

It’s too soon to say that Red Bull have definitively weathered the storm of Horner’s departure, but the weekend at Spielberg offered the first glimpses of stability. Laurent Mekies appears to be settling into the role without making enemies, Simon Rennie has brought a familiar voice to the cockpit, and the car—unsurprisingly—remains quick.

All of which means Red Bull can go into the summer phase of the season with something resembling confidence, if not outright dominance. Verstappen may not be talking titles just yet, but the smouldering fire remains. The team’s internal evolution is ongoing, and the jury will be watching closely to see whether Mekies can truly fill the void left by one of Formula One’s most divisive characters.

But for now, the message is clear: business continues, and Verstappen still means business.

We’re trying to grow a new online F1 community over on Facebook, and your voice is a key part of it. So come and join the conversation at https://www.facebook.com/TheJudge13. Do you think Mekies is the right man to lead Red Bull into its next chapter? Or is this just a temporary honeymoon period before the real power struggles begin? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

The Judge invites you, the jury, to deliberate. #TJ13

 

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Hamilton’s Ferrari Fairytale Turns Sour: Italian Media Savages “Disaster” Weekend at Spa – When Lewis Hamilton signed on the dotted line with Ferrari, it was supposed to be the crowning glory of an already glittering Formula One career. The most successful driver in the history of the sport, a seven-time world champion, a British knight in scarlet armour, arriving in Maranello to complete his racing legacy. But twelve races into his debut season with the Scuderia, Hamilton’s dream is teetering on the edge of a full-blown nightmare – and the Italian press is now openly sharpening its knives.

Following a disastrous Belgian Grand Prix weekend, even Hamilton’s fiercest critics were left stunned. At Spa-Francorchamps, a circuit he once ruled with poise and pace, the Briton unravelled with alarming ease. A spin in sprint qualifying saw him dumped out in 18th. He then struggled to 15th place in the sprint race itself, before tripping over the track limits in Saturday’s Grand Prix qualifying and being booted out of Q1. Result? A miserable 16th on the grid for Sunday’s race – the worst kind of déjà vu.

And in Italy, where Ferrari drivers are either worshipped or mercilessly flayed, there is no room for sympathy…READ MORE ON THIS STORY